PEC council will change size, representation

There will be changes to the size of Prince Edward County council and electoral wards after all.
In a twist Tuesday night, council opted to resurrect the nine-ward plan by former Sophiasburgh councillor John Thompson, a plan that will see Bloomfield join Hallowell for election purposes, thus eliminating one councillor position with another dropped from Sophiasburgh.
Council is currently comprised of the mayor and 15 councillors from 10 wards. Under Thompson’s plan, it will be reduced to 13 councillors and a mayor. Hallowell currently has two representatives and Bloomfield one, while Sophiasburgh has two.
On Oct. 29, at a special committee of the whole meeting, councillors opted not to complete a process set out earlier this year to have two remaining choices – Gary Mooney’s N.E.W. Plan and the status quo – sent back to staff for a final report. Had council supported that position again Tuesday night, it would have meant no changes to council size or electoral wards for the election in 2018.
Mayor Robert Quaiff said he is certain the matter will now end up in front of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
“It’s upsetting that we’ve gone through the process to come up with the least desired plan going forward, leaving no doubt in my mind it will be taken to the OMB as being unacceptable,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, we’ve subjected ourselves to an OMB appeal and now we’re going to have to defend the position we voted on.”
As part of the process for measuring different options for restructuring, council set six criteria items including: odd number of council members; voter parity; equitable distribution of population; respect identifiable communities of interest; utilize natural physical boundaries; and serve the larger public interest.
“The two-ward and three-ward plans that were submitted met all the criteria and now, for this plan to be approved, is in my opinion, very upsetting,” Quaiff said. “The nine-ward plan will fail on all accounts (because) it doesn’t meet any of the six criteria we set out.”
In the end, after several recorded votes were defeated, Coun. Jamie Forrester made the motion to have Thompson’s plan revived and it was passed by a 9-7 margin.
“I’d like to see if John Thompson’s plan could be a compromise because this is my fifth year at this and I heard the same arguments, the tie votes and all the back and forth,” Forrester said. “Do any of the plans meet all the tests? I’m not sure. Do any of the plans make everyone happy? At this point, I’m just looking to put something on the table that will be a compromise for everyone.”
Sophiasburgh Coun. Bill Roberts said the plan didn’t feel like a compromise for him.
“If I understand this correctly, this is supposed to be a compromise, it certainly doesn’t feel like it,” he said. “Where we are going to go is the nine-ward plan, the option that came last in public consultation, last, last in our own committee of the whole straw poll – we are going to ignore every public process since 2008, every public input, every staff recommendation. We’re going to ignore legal opinion (and) our own criteria – this a place almost stranger than fiction, an electoral twilight zone.”
Coun. Treat Hull said Thompson’s plan may help the municipality decide its own fate.
“There is no solution that we can come up with that will avoid an OMB hearing and my preference all along has been the three-ward (N.E.W.) plan,” he explained. “ I feel quite strongly about self determination for the community and while I don’t think it’s ideal, I think the nine-ward plan may be the compromise that allows us to do that.”
In a recorded vote, Councillors Forrester, Steven Graham, David Harrison, Hull, Janice Maynard, Brad Nieman, Dianne O’Brien, Roy Pennell and Lenny Epstein all voted in favour of the nine-ward plan.